Sir Andrew Witty is to lead a review designed to find more opportunities for
businesses to work with their local universities.

The chief executive of GlaxoSmith-Kline has been asked to find “practical steps” for building stronger relationships between universities, local companies and regional growth bodies including Local Enterprise Partnerships.

It is hoped that the review will address the failure to commercialise much of the research produced in British universities by cultivating closer links with local industry.

Sir Andrew said: “It is vitally important that the world-leading capabilities in our universities and research base are at the heart of both the industrial strategy and local growth strategies that recognise and build on areas of local strength.”

The Government said Sir Andrew would “identify where we have world-leading capabilities in our research base that can underpin the sectors and technologies of the industrial strategy”.

He is also due to analyse whether universities are “being effective” as providers of skilled workers to companies and as partners in local supply chains.

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University and science minister David Willetts said: “It is critical to the Government’s industrial strategy that universities play a full role in driving growth at a local level and then taking it on to a national and global scale.

”A strong relationship between businesses and universities can provide real growth opportunities in local areas. By forging links and sharing best practice, an efficient and practical partnership will help to boost the economy, benefiting both businesses and institutions.

Sir Andrew Witty will report back to the Government later this year with his recommendations.

Research from last year suggests that academics are already getting better at spotting commercially promising innovations and creating “spin out” businesses based on their research. Some 3,118 new businesses emerged from universities in 2011, up from 2,457 in the previous year.